


Harbinger of Death

by Silvereye



Category: Battlestar Galactica (2003)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dark, F/M, Post Episode: s04e19-e20 Daybreak
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-24
Updated: 2013-10-24
Packaged: 2017-12-30 08:56:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1016645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Silvereye/pseuds/Silvereye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"You are the harbinger of death, Kara Thrace. You will lead them all to their end. End of line." What if the blind jump ended nowhere near a habitable planet?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Harbinger of Death

The stars are weak and far when they're looking out of the observation deck windows. Like trails of dust in the distance.

"The civvies can jump away," Lee says.

"Frak they can. The closest stars are way over the Red Line." Kara sighs.

"Nothing to lose by a blind jump."

Yeah. Nothing to lose.

She stands up and leaves. Lee shouts after her. She ignores him.

The civvies may be able to jump, but Galactica will not, and without her they would be defenceless. And even if they do jump, the stars are really, really far away. They're on the fringes of the galaxy.

*

She participates in the Raptor missions to find food, water, fuel.

Nothing.

The Fleet grows weaker every day. People are collapsing of malnutrition.

Galactica floats in the void with the ships that are still faithful. There are talks of abandoning her, loading the crew onto civvie ships and jumping somewhere, anywhere.

Nothing to lose by blind jump.

Not yet.

*

Her teeth keep aching. None have fallen out. Yet.

The President is really dying this time, the Admiral doesn't want to abandon ship and she? Is sitting in the Hybrid's room.

"Harbinger of death," she says.

"You led us to our end," Sam agrees sadly. "One had died in a strange place, near no known land, and she was left there..." His calm words are soothing in a way. And hurt more than she can stand.

*

Laura Roslin dies.

Kara has never seen Adama so lost before.

*

Another trio of civilian ships jumps away. If any of those who leave reach a habitable place they send no word. Maybe they were all lost, jumped too close to stars or into planets. Maybe they kept jumping and jumping and still failed to find anything. Maybe they are only drifting coffins now.

In the Fleet they are having funerals every day.

*

Kara cannot help but see people who are not there any more. All the people they lost after leaving the Colonies. Laura Roslin argues with Baltar in that soft dangerous voice of hers. Duck passes her in the hallway. Cally fixes her ship.

Admiral Cain drinks with her and the pilot wants to ask her what the Admiral of Pegasus would have done.

There's no point.

Cain would have no idea, either. Not this time.

*

Sam's skin is getting yellowish and she knows it means they can't keep the Hybrid alive much longer. They just don't have supplies to keep his tank in balance.

She wonders if he would let them untangle him. Probably not. He is Galactica, for all intents and purposes.

He'll soon be as dead as Galactica.

So will they all.

*

Gaeta plots her Raptor jumps. Dee calls her home when she's out in the dark.

She's not sure who is alive. Not any more.

*

She does not remember when she last ate. But it does not stop her. Jump and come back, jump and come back. It's as if she herself is a machine.

No. Even the machines are dying. Sixes keep searching, but Sharons fight among their own and she hasn't seen any Leobens in a while. Not that she misses those.

*

A Six crashes a Raptor.

Kara wonders if she was the one called Caprica.

*

When she returns to Galactica for the last time the ship is alone and empty. They finally evacuated. Those left. She has the coordinates. She could follow them.

Kara lands and walks through the dark corridors to Hybrid's room. It's so quiet. No ghosts any more.

*

She sits on the edge of the tank and touches Sam's forehead. Cold. But he's still breathing.

"Kara Thrace and her special destiny." It was all for nothing in the end. She was the harbinger of death. She led the human race to their end.

Sam's eyes open and it's as if he can see her. Maybe it's the last trick of her starved mind. At this point she doesn't care. She climbs into the tank, clothes and all and rests her head on his shoulder.

Sam's hand twitches. He starts speaking. "Yet always when I look death in the face, when I clamber to the heights of sleep, or when I grow excited with wine, suddenly I meet your face..."

**Author's Note:**

> The first words Sam speaks are a paraphrase of the opening lines of "A Dream of Death". The ones in the end are quote from "A Deep-Sworn Wow". Both poems are by W. B. Yeats.


End file.
